Amazon Kindle Paperwhite To Get A High Definition Update Next Year
It may not be here for the holiday season, but it looks like Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite is going to get a high-definition update. But that's not all.
The new Kindle Paperwhite will likely be released sometime in the second quarter of next year, and will feature its paperwhite E Ink LCD screen in a high definition resolution that will reportedly bring up to 300 pixels per inch on the display. According to TechCrunch, the device's prototype will get a few other hardware improvements, along with a new look on the front side of the device.
Amazon has been updating its current line of tablets with higher definition screens, introducing the new Kindle Fire HDX line that boasts a display that rivals the best new Android tablets from Google and others. Now it looks to be updating its e-book reader lineup to compete with other e-book devices in the Kindle Paperwhite class that have higher resolutions and impressive hardware as well.
One of those competitors is the Kobo Aura HD, which comes with an E Ink display with a high resolution, 265 pixel per inch, screen. The device became available earlier this year (as did the latest Paperwhite) and outmatches the current Kindle Paperwhite's 212 pixel per inch resolution, even though the same company supplies both devices' E Ink displays.
The new Kindle Paperwhite under development, code-named "Ice Wine," will offer more than a better resolution display for hardcore readers. There will be a new custom font added, reportedly designed only for the Paperwhite to optimize the ease of reading on a device with E Ink, which TechCrunch says is "great for reading."
Also to make reading easier on the eyes, the new Kindle Paperwhite will come with automatic brightness adjustment using an ambient light sensor that will gradually adjust the screen's brightness at the speed at which one's pupils would adjust to light, which sounds similar to the Kindle Fire HDX's contrast adjustment feature. Also similar to the Kindle Fire HDX, reports TechCrunch, which got its hands on an early prototype, is an angular design of the body.
There are a few other hardware changes coming to Amazon's little e-book reader as well. Instead of the current style of buttons, there will reportedly be "squeezable" buttons with haptic feedback lining the edge of the device - meaning that turning pages on the new Kindle Paperwhite will not require the reader to move her hands from the edge of the e-book.
Speaking of the edges of e-books, another couple of changes reportedly coming to the Paperwhite include a display that is made of a matte-type glass instead of plastic, and is flush to the edges, rather than recessed. With the addition of glass, however, says TechCrunch, does not come a heavier Paperwhite: in fact, the new Kindle Paperwhite is expected to be lighter than the current model. Finally, with regard to the edges, Amazon is reportedly working on the software end - one of the only software changes expected coming to the new Kindle Paperwhite - to possibly allow for hyphenation on e-books, making for a fuller right margin of the screen. Expect more hardware news coming from Amazon, as it has begun an all-out hardware offensive with the Kindle Fire HDX, and is likely working on a couple of Amazon smartphones to show off sometime next year.